Suspect arrested in Craigslist iPad robberies

A man suspected in several iPad robberies this week related to Craigslist postings has been arrested, and a woman who was with the thief is being sought, San Diego police said Thursday.

Keith Randall Smith, 34, was arrested at his Mission Valley residence without incident by police detectives from the Mid-City Division, said San Diego police Lt. Andra Brown. Two of the stolen iPads and a handgun were recovered at the residence, she said.

Smith was booked Wednesday into the central jail on two felony counts, one of robbery and one of being a felon in possession of a firearm, with bail set at $50,000, according to the jail website. He was scheduled to be arraigned at 1:30 p.m. Friday.

The robberies occurred in the College, Mount Hope and Corridor neighborhoods of San Diego.

A woman who participated in two of the heists was being sought. She was described as white, 20 to 25 years old, 5 feet 4 inches tall with a thin build and blond hair. During the robberies she was wearing a dark hoodie and dark pants, Brown said.

The first robbery was reported about 9:30 p.m. Sunday. A man responded to a Craigslist ad about an iPad for sale. He went to the victim’s Talmadge apartment alone, but said he needed to show the iPad to his girlfriend. He left and quickly returned with a woman. As the victim was demonstrating the iPad features to the woman, the man pulled a small black gun from his jacket and threatened the victim and took the iPad. The victim was not injured.

On Monday, about 8:30 p.m., a man contacted a woman selling an iPad on Craigslist. The victim provided the suspect with directions to her home in the Mount Hope area. The thief arrived in a white two-door vehicle. He was invited into the victim’s backyard to look at the iPad. The robber showed a black handgun, took the iPad and left, Brown said.

About 90 minutes later, a man called about another Craigslist posting for an iPad. The victim gave the man directions to the Corridor neighborhood. A woman and her mother walked to a corner near their home. A man arrived in a white car being driven by a woman. The man asked the victim to show the iPad to his girlfriend in the car. The man attempted to get into the passenger side of the car and tried to close the door, but the victim’s mother held the door open. The man removed a black handgun from his jacket pocket and pointed it at the victim, then fled in the car.

Anyone with information is asked to call San Diego Police Department headquarters at (619) 531-2000, or the Mid-City Division at (619) 516-3000.